What Goes On
Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music Lyrics


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What goes on in your mind?
I think that I am falling down.
What goes on in your mind?
I think that I am upside down.
Baby, be good, do what you should, you know it will work alright.
Baby, be good, do what you should, you know it will be alright.

I'm going up, and I'm going down.
I'm going from side to side.
See the bills, up in the sky,
Somebody's cut their string in two.
Baby, be good, do what you should, you know it will work alright.
Baby, be good, do what you should, you know it will be alright.

One minute born, one minute doomed,
One minute up, one minute down.
What goes on in your mind?
I think that I am falling down.




Baby, be good, do what you should, you know it will work alright.
Baby, be good, do what you should, you know it will be alright.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music's song "What Goes On" are curious, enticing, and enigmatic. The main theme of the song seems to be about the instability of the human mind and its unpredictable nature. The opening lines, "What goes on in your mind? I think that I am falling down" illustrate the introspective nature of the song, and hint at the lyrical confusion that ensues throughout the track.


The lines "Baby, be good, do what you should, you know it will work alright" suggest that the singer is coaxing someone to stay grounded and follow orders to avoid going astray. The imagery of going up and down, from side to side, and the bills in the sky all contribute to the idea that the world is in turmoil, moving in unexpected ways.


The line "One minute born, one minute doomed, one minute up, one minute down" is particularly profound, in that it encapsulates the fleeting nature of life and the mercurial swings of emotions that come along with it. Ultimately, the song leaves listeners with a sense of unease, as they are left to wonder what goes on in their own minds.


Line by Line Meaning

What goes on in your mind?
I am curious about what thoughts and emotions are occupying your mind.


I think that I am falling down.
I feel like I am losing control and falling apart.


What goes on in your mind?
I am asking again because I am genuinely interested in what is bothering you.


I think that I am upside down.
I feel disorientated and confused, as if my world has flipped upside down.


Baby, be good, do what you should, you know it will work alright.
I am encouraging you to do the right thing, assuring you that it will turn out okay.


I'm going up, and I'm going down.
I am experiencing a range of emotional highs and lows.


I'm going from side to side.
I am fluctuating between different moods and mindsets.


See the bills, up in the sky,
I am seeing my financial troubles looming over me like a heavy cloud.


Somebody's cut their string in two.
Someone else's problems have made them feel disconnected or lost.


One minute born, one minute doomed,
Life can feel like a rollercoaster, and one minute can change everything.


One minute up, one minute down.
I feel like I am constantly riding an emotional rollercoaster.


What goes on in your mind?
I remain curious about what is on your mind, hoping to understand and offer support.


I think that I am falling down.
I am still feeling overwhelmed and unstable.


Baby, be good, do what you should, you know it will work alright.
I repeat my message of encouragement, hoping to offer some comfort and hope.


Baby, be good, do what you should, you know it will be alright.
I am reminding you that things will eventually get better, as long as you keep doing the right thing.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOU REED

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@OLDGOLDDREAMER

We had plenty of choices in those heady days of continual epic song after song coming out week after week
YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS BETTER WITH A AD BLOCKER ON YT or Copy & Pasta these links into what I’ve put below 😊
All the playlists below you can view on the YT App Obviously … the links I’ve put below will open up pre … YouTube App , so in facebooks /messengers , X( Twitter) , a text to yourself even .. viewer .. which is BETTER …as you can freely move through them all without all the annoying adverts you’ll get on the YT app .. Doing it this way it says the odd time some videos are deleted,private or missing in the playlist list !! BUT they are not missing ,I’ve double checked against viewing on YT app & everything all there , I don’t know why it does that !! ….. these are Top 50 chart yrs playlist & later in 78’ it went to Top75 so I’ve added all those too.They are all in true weekly order of entries wasn’t sure whether to do the Top 30 chart entries playlists only , has outside the Top 30 Charts throughout the 70’s there’s lots of music ppl won’t remember or even have heard !! … anyway I’ve added them as we all bought our favourite stuff that didn’t make it onto TOTP’s or into the Top 30 chart run down ( 70’s ) .. plus there’s plenty of gems in em ppl will have bought & loved .. they all count 🤓!

Use these ⬅️➡️ under the videos to move through them ( much easier ) 🤓 I’ve painstakingly searched out the very best video I can find .. that resembles it best sonically, the priority is that firstly & hopefully footage of the very time too .. if not available il ad a generic sound only video placer till someone uploads a descent video version or better combination vid comes along .
I’m about half way through adding the tracks into the yr 1978 so when completed you’ve a complete Top 50 / 75 Chart decade of the 70’s with the very best sound & vision video tracks combo all in every single week after week chart entry order 🤓… so basically a complete 70’s library at your fingertips …. … Enjoy 🤓🎶👌🏻

1970 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcphv7Bsr4moeVzlB_vKmFq5j

1971 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpi9qNJbKbDmY0Sbze6lwQqu

1972 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpji_ftPX_vuFMCmnAfSh4rR

1973 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpiOv78ntVws-hceYHK11hTU

1974 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcphuqH7QYq76bta1-Qcynn_-

1975 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcphrbPyiOhDbBXMvnVHWHny9

1976 CHART HITS ( All In Weekly Chart Entry Order )
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpj3riek7_6jeobh8-8rPLe4&feature=shared

1977 CHART HITS ( All In WeeklyChart Entry Order) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpjIz9L-Iu3f7dKL1AhYs3R8&feature=shared

1978 CHART HITS
👉🏻( halfway through so far ) 👈🏻

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpgAF5b_f7oq0HWeO-AZhq99&feature=shared

1979 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpgFJC8P6awEQ3zPR1k07esz

1980 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order) 👉🏻 got up to up to May 👈🏻
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcphfjcVulJ5jsP3oHslGjCuc

70’s GLAM ROCK
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpiA8pJS3T4DFh70PUZZrcvT

1976 SUMMER HEATWAVE
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpipwJR4uGBgWMERVBvJ8x9p

NEW ROMANTIC MUSIC ( 79’80’81’)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpj03NHpKG7HwOQo-0cVKqgk

DISCO GREATEST HITS ( 250 )
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpj7-6cdgtg5oZ19HLtlHINA

POST DISCO & DISCO ( MAJORITY FROM 1980 )
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpjPQ1XOreWRk8EJgi0mPwZz

YACHT ROCK
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpj25v-sjmbqDMeHFtDRJZxg

70’s NUMBER ONE CHART HITS ( IN RELEASE ORDER )
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcphLKAJrLRdeONXjJhADydQ3



@banbrotam

Clearly about Jerry Hall (they split up earlier that year as she left him for Mick Jagger).

He might be using someone else's lyrics, but he subtly changes some crucial lines;

"Here we go playing the fool again"
'Here we go, acting hard the gain"

i.e. the now single Bryan is having to get himself back out into the cattle market

Then there's the killer line repeated twice

"Here we go again. I thought you were my friend"

He even asks Jerry, at the end, "How does it feel to be loved"

Oh poor Bryan. He was clearly wounded.


This is average Ferry - but it's still sensational

What a god!!



All comments from YouTube:

@dwarfninja74

I think this video just knocked me up.

@PenelopeRoberts9212

ROFL: Brilliant but please push off, he's mine. :-)

@sirenenmann1299

An angry, energetic Bryan Ferry.
I like this expression on him very much.

@Mrariesdave

Those high contrast snapshot photos of Bryan at the end are brilliant, smiling, slow-strobe, pulsing, leering, vulnerable, earnest, orgasmic, rare exposures...perhaps Jerry Hall will have the honesty to regret her stupid choice...

@kurtvanderbogarde8402

She did because Jagger shaggered around with anyone he could afterwards.

@skwertball2274

Holy hell -- Bryan with a beard! I've been a fan since 1977, but have never seen this! Heard him perform the song...never seen his Faust/ Mephistopheles impression. Thank you so much for posting this!

@kurtvanderbogarde8402

He had it before this for Sign Of The Times

@SaucyTreasures

HOT, ain't it. Thought I was seeing things. Dayum 💥

@alanashore9570

Must be lovely to be truly loved. Never had that ❤

@BoudicaJ

Beardy Bryan...what a dream <3

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